How To Attract Hummingbirds and Orioles To Your Yard!

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only species of Hummingbird that breeds east of the Mississippi. You can attract them to your yard by planting nectar-rich tubular flowers such as bee balm, trumpet flower, honeysuckle, cardinal flower and fuchsia or by making your own nectar (recipe below) and putting out Hummingbird feeders. Hummingbirds also eat a variety of insects including mosquitoes, gnats and spiders!

Baltimore Orioles breed from the Mid-Atlantic States to the northeast. Like Hummingbirds they are also nectar eaters. You can attract them to your yard by planting nectar producing flowering fruits such as apple trees, crab apples and raspberries. They also eat dark fruits such as mulberries, cherries and red grapes. Orioles will also come to nectar feeders (see recipe below) and will feast on grape jelly and oranges. Like Hummingbirds, Orioles also eat a variety of insects including beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, moths and gypsy moth caterpillars! They will also come to feeders stocked with live mealworms – especially once their young have hatched!

Hummingbird Nectar:

1. Boil 4 parts water.

2. Mix in 1 part ordinary white-granulated sugar. (If you are using 4 cups of water, use 1-cup sugar).

3. Stir and let the mixture cool.

4. When the nectar reaches room temperature fill your clean Hummingbird feeder.

Oriole Nectar:

1. Boil 6 parts water.

2. Mix in 1 part ordinary white-granulated sugar. (If you are using 4 cups of water, use 2/3rd cups sugar).

3. Stir and allow the mixture to cool.

4. When the nectar reaches room temperature, fill your clean Oriole feeder.

Tips:

1. Never use red dyes or food coloring, as they are not healthy for the birds.

2. Never use honey; brown sugar or artificial sugar substitutes as they can ferment quickly, creating a mold that can be fatal to the birds.

3. Replace the nectar every 3-4 days (more frequently as the days get hotter) and clean the feeder thoroughly.

4. Unused nectar can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.

We hope you enjoy the Hummingbirds and Orioles this spring and summer!